NEED HELP with adopted dog that just lunged at me

mypasswordwontwork

About 5 weeks ago I adopted a 5 year old female dog from slightly shady circumstances. The family initially claimed the dog was GREAT but that she alert barked when strangers approached the house and this was keepign their kids awake. Since I don't have kids, that didn't bother me. They claimed the dog was housebroken, sweet, non-aggressive....

However, housebroken my ass. She has been dropping steaming turds throughout my home, at random. I called the previous owner. They said she does her business outside or will use wee wee pads inside.

I started to take her outside three times a day and sometimes she'd poo outside but still shit inside my home as well. She did not shit on the wee wee pads or anywhere near them. Instead she dropped her turds at random spots in my home.

I tried crate training and I had to stop because of the noise she was making (my usually chilled out neighbors complained).

Finally, today, totally out of the blue: she growled, bared her teeth and lunged at me. I was kneeling on the ground at the time, talking to her softly. She then growled again and ran away.

How serious is growling and lunging? I've never had to deal with an aggressive dog before. What worries me about her outburst is that I was not doing anything that could be perceived as upsetting at the time. It seems completely unprovoked which means that I don't know when she might do it again and possibly hurt me or somebody else. HELP!

(Of course the previous owners claim that she doesn't have an aggressive bone in her body, but these are teh same people who claimed she is housebroken.....)

whyfi

Growling and lunging is never good. She doesn't respect your authority. She doesn't see you as being the boss... but don't let it worry you.

Take control of the situation. Take her on long walks, but you lead the walk - not her. Stop giving affection for a while - if it's acting frightened, don't comfort it. If it's acting aggressive, don't comfort it and don't take it. If she growls at you, correct her verbally, and if you have a leash on her, give her a physical correction, too (BTW - "correction" =/= hurt, abuse, mindfuck, etc. A light but sharp tug at the right time works wonders) If she tries to bite you, put her on her back and grab her throat with your finger tips. You're not going to choke her, but you're going to threaten to until she relaxes and submits to you. Dominant dogs in the wild do it, and you need to be a dominant dog. Don't stoop down to her level (physically) - it's not 'upsetting,' but it is a sign of being submissive. And always stay calm.

How is your other dog taking this?

quijibo

I agree with WhyFi's post

I had the same experience with my 6.5 year old rescue -- and the hard work has been worth it. If i knew then what i know now... [-o<

Depending on the breed, they'll respond differently to behavior modification eforts.

Also, 5 weeks is a short amount of time -- If for no other reason than emotional reassurance, you might wish to seek the advice of a trained behaviorist

whyfi

Any update? How's the pooch doin'?